Emma wrote her new single 'The Riddle of Life' for her friend Ric when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour which she continues to battle.

Ric, a fellow nurse, along with her family moved into the house across the road from where Emma grew up. Emma was 13 at the time and Ric became like an older sister to her.

Ric has now exhausted most of her treatment options and her husband and three children, aged 17 (twins) and 19, are dealing with the consequences of her diagnosis and fight for life.

"She is an amazing nurse and only 48 years old," Emma said.

"Ric told me her story about the morning she was diagnosed- she had her twins in the car on the way to their school assembly before work when she stopped for her appointment.

"When she had her scan, she was told she was at risk of seizures and was not allowed to leave and couldn't be by herself. She said to me, 'yesterday I was looking after people and within a day, I was being looked after'. I found it all quite hard to comprehend.

"She loves country music, so I started writing as a way to deal with it. I struggled with how to end the song and then my husband Aaron suggested that I watch the movie Stranger than Fiction where the narrator (narrating his life) holds the power to determine how his story ends.

"Aaron said 'I feel like you need to write the ending that you want to happen', so I wrote two different endings. I gave these to Ric so that she could choose the ending she wanted."

The accompanying film clip is sure to move viewers to tears, with Ric's daughter Matilda choreographing and performing a dance dedicated to her Mum.

Matilda's message to her Mum through the dance is "that even though the journey may be tough, this dance is kind of a reminder of how amazing you are and what an amazing job you are doing, just keep going".

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Emma said she wanted to use proceeds from the single to assist the family. "The whole family is excited about the release and I've been conscious that it is a very sensitive issue."

"The whole community came together to help raise money for the family and they've had a lot of support which is reflective of the beautiful people that they are.

"The main message of the song is to make the most of life because there is no rhyme or reason as to what tomorrow holds. It takes something like this to make you wake up and realise that the little things are really not that important. It puts everything into perspective."

Emma, whose songwriting always comes from the heart, is well known for her touching and heartfelt lyrics. This is evident in many of the songs on her previous album 'Pay it Forward'.

Recorded in Nashville with producer Matt Fell, The Riddle of Life is both the title track and the first single to be released off Emma's' new album.

The album will be released in January to coincide with the Tamworth Country Music Festival and is dedicated to her beautiful friend Ric.